Still Life Contour Drawing: Single-Line and Blind-Contour Practice

Object Drawing Lessons

Contour drawing describes the edges and surface boundaries of an object without tonal shading. In a single-line contour still life, you draw the entire arrangement with one continuous line that never lifts from the paper. Blind-contour practice asks you to draw while looking only at the object, not at the paper. Both exercises train careful observation and hand-eye coordination. This lesson defines a simple convention for judging contour accuracy, provides a worked example, and offers four practice tasks that can be completed from the text alone. All measurements use centimetres, and any numerical values are hypothetical examples to be checked against your own equipment.

Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.

Setting up a simple still life and the contour convention

Choose two or three objects with clear, uncluttered edges, such as a mug, a small box, and a piece of fruit. Place them on a plain surface so each object overlaps at least one other. Tape your paper to the drawing board so it cannot shift. Use a pencil or fine-tipped pen. For single-line contour, the rule is simple: the tip stays on the paper from the first mark to the last, and you may retrace edges but never lift the tool.

Define a convention before drawing so that accuracy can be checked consistently. In this lesson, contour accuracy means that the relative positions of key boundary points match the arrangement within a stated tolerance. Mark three reference points on the object group, for example the leftmost edge of the left object, the topmost point of the tallest object, and the rightmost edge of the right object. On your drawing, measure the distances between these points with a ruler. A hypothetical tolerance is plus or minus one centimetre for a drawing made on A4 paper; measure your actual paper and adjust the value to suit your equipment. Letter styles and handwriting vary, so do not judge line quality by a single ideal; judge only the checkable positions and the continuous-line rule.

1. Place two or three objects so they overlap and sit on a plain surface.
2. Tape A4 paper to the board and mark three reference points on the objects.
3. Measure the distances between the reference points on the objects and record them.
4. Draw the whole group with one continuous line, retracing rather than lifting the tool.
5. Measure the same three distances on your drawing and compare them with the recorded values.

Blind-contour practice and the comparison panel

Blind-contour practice uses the same objects but a different looking rule: keep your eyes on the object and do not look at the paper until the drawing is finished. Work slowly and let your hand follow the edges you see. The result will often look distorted, and that is expected. The purpose is observation, not a polished image.

Build a comparison panel by drawing the same object group twice on one sheet: once as a single-line contour with looking allowed, and once as a blind contour. Label each drawing with the date and the rule used. In the panel, compare the three reference-point distances from each drawing against the measured object distances. This makes the difference between the two exercises visible without relying on taste. Keep the panel flat and do not erase the blind contour; the distortions are evidence of the looking rule, not mistakes to hide.

1. Draw the object group once as a single-line contour with looking allowed.
2. Draw the same group again as a blind contour, eyes on the objects only.
3. Label both drawings with the rule used and the date.
4. Measure the three reference-point distances on each drawing.
5. Record both sets of measurements beside the comparison panel.

Checking your contour drawing with simple arithmetic

Use a ruler and a simple subtraction to check each reference distance. If the measured distance on the objects is 12 cm and the distance on your drawing is 11 cm, the difference is 1 cm. Compare that difference with your chosen tolerance. Keep units consistent: record every value in centimetres and do not mix centimetres with millimetres in the same table.

For the continuous-line rule, count the number of times the tool lifted from the paper. A single-line contour should have zero lifts. If you lifted the tool, note where and why, then redraw that section without lifting. For blind contour, the check is different: confirm that you did not look at the paper during the drawing. A simple method is to place a sheet of paper over the drawing area and remove it only after the line is complete. These checks are arithmetic and procedural, not aesthetic judgements.

1. Measure each reference distance on the objects and on the drawing in centimetres.
2. Subtract the drawing value from the object value to find the difference.
3. Compare each difference with your stated tolerance.
4. Count tool lifts for the single-line drawing; the target is zero.
5. For blind contour, confirm the paper cover was in place until the line was finished.

Worked example

A mug and a small box overlap on a table. The measured distance between the leftmost edge of the mug and the rightmost edge of the box is 14 cm. The measured distance between the top of the mug and the bottom of the box is 10 cm. A single-line contour drawing gives 13 cm and 9 cm for the same distances. Check the drawing against a hypothetical tolerance of 1 cm.

Four practice exercises

Common mistakes

• Lifting the pencil during a single-line contour drawing. Retrace the previous edge to reach the next part of the object instead of lifting. Count lifts and aim for zero.
• Looking at the paper during blind-contour practice. Cover the drawing area with a sheet of paper and remove it only after the continuous line is complete.
• Judging the drawing by how tidy the line looks rather than by the reference-point measurements. Measure the three reference distances in centimetres and compare the differences with your stated tolerance.
• Mixing centimetres and millimetres in the measurement table. Record every value in centimetres and convert before subtracting.

Self-check rubric

• The single-line contour uses one continuous line with zero tool lifts.
• Three reference points are marked and their distances are measured in centimetres.
• Each drawing distance is compared with the object distance using subtraction.
• The blind contour is drawn without looking at the paper and is kept unerased.
• The comparison panel labels both drawings with the rule used and the date.
• Valid alternative line styles and handwriting are accepted; only the stated measurements and rules are judged.

Questions and answers